Syndication

Gift Your Friends with Handcrafted Earrings in 4 Super-Easy Steps!

OK gang: 36, yes, 36 days until the big Ho, Ho, Ho! (I heard you all gulp, now take a nice, deep breath). I've got some great last-minute projects to inspire/haunt you this holiday season (your choice depending on your favorite movie: Scrooge or It's a Wonderful Life), as well as an easy step-by-step earring project you can whip up while the turkey is cooking.

It's been tough to fit in holiday beading this year, as I have a crazy-busy schedule living my beady passion, which includes quite a bit of travel. I don't get to share much time with my local peeps, and they let me know all about it! So, I've decided to give my wannabee jewelry-making friends a special treat this season. I'm selecting a few of my fave easy holiday jewelry projects and gifting them with a jewelry lesson in making one of them. What a triple-whammy! They'll be so excited to learn how to make jewelry, proudly wear their first beautiful project, AND we get to spend some quality time together. It's likely I'll be doing most of the actual "making" of the jewelry for some, but so many of my friends want to learn jewelry making, what a fun gift for both of us!

1. String a few components onto a head pin. I used Swarovski pearls and crystals in the picture.

2. Make a small loop at the top of the head pin.

3. Open the loop, slip in a decorative component, and then close the loop. I love using vintage-looking components from KabelaDesign.com or Vintaj.com.

4. Attach ear wires by opening the ear-wire loop, slipping in the decorative component, and closing the loop. Repeat for the other earring.

Start a New Jewelry-Making Trend

The quilters and knitters have been creating together for eons, in fact, here's the definition of a quilting bee: A quilting bee is a gathering of friends and neighbors who come together to work on creating a quilt. A quilting bee can be a social event during which friends spend time working together on one quilt, or it can be put together in the form of a competition, in which teams work together in an attempt to finish their quilt before their competitors. The original purpose behind a quilting bee was to enlist the help of several people in order to get the quilt finished in a much faster fashion than if just one person worked on the quilt. While this is still a modern advantage to the quilting bee, the primary purpose behind the quilting bee today is to socialize with others who enjoy the craft of quilting.

Why don't we have Beading Bees? Join me in starting a new Beading Bee trend with the primary purpose to be socializing with others who enjoy the craft of beading, just like the quilters. We're all busier than we've ever been before, which is why it's even more important to take the time to be part of a community of common creativity!

Comments

When possible, I attend a regular UFO (unfinished objects) with my quilting friends. I am usually the only beader,but all projects are welome. It's a potluck too. One of the local bead stores is starting UFOs too.